Secrets of the Night
by stargirl5
Summary: A Royal hadn't been seen in the Lunarian witch line for centuries, but the prophecy was there, one that held the elders of the Night World in a riot, gave hope to those who strived for peace, and changed Serena's life forever..
1. Chapter 1

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Season: Alternate Reality Rating: PG-13 Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Action   
_An intricate world of vampires, witches, and other creatures of the night. A place where prophecies, dangers, and love entwine lives together as well as tear them a part. Serena has a destiny in this world. A royal Lunarian witch hadn't been seen in over a century, but the prophecy was there. A prophecy that had the Night World Elders in a riot, and that gave Circle Daybreak much needed hope. _

  
**[ A N ]** Hey Everyone! I'm deleting the prologue. Since revising this story, it just doesn't seem to have much of a purpose. Any way, for new readers, I hope you enjoy the story! ^_^

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in your faith, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope." ROMANS 15:13

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--------------------------------Secrets of the Night--------------------------------

C h a p t e r O n e

b y s t a r

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Margarette grinned, brushing back a brown curl behind her ear. She leaned back in her chair, staring with wide hazel eyes at the computer screen in the dark room. She laughed with a shake of her head.

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Serenity Lyn Talen 

It was her. There wasn't a doubt. Marcus, you genius, she thought. A shrill ring peeled through the room and she wheeled her chair over to pick up the phone, cradling it to her ear. "Hey Margarette. Did you get--"

She cut him off, "How the hell did you know?" 

Marcus laughed on the other end. "I wasn't sure, just had that feeling. It's definite then?"

"About as sure as I can get. How does it feel having a famous niece who's going to be stronger then you?" Margarette teased.

"Eh, she was born for stardom." It was meant to be joking, but she caught the strain in his voice.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just that... I---I look at her. And... I just can't comprehend it. You know, I just, I wish... that it didn't have to be her. Just by existing, she's in danger."

"I know." Margarette sighed. "But, now that we know for sure, we can protect her, right? Marc... this is just, well, amazing. There hasn't been a Royal in the Lunarian witches line for... ah, its been over centuries! We've read the prophecies, but we just couldn't keep faith in them---until now." 

"Yeah," Marc breathed. "I guess I'm just feeling a little protective over her at the moment. Gads, Marg, she's only six now. I just wish she didn't have to know about the Night World, let alone be in the center of it!"

"Things will turn out all right, you'll see. And there will be so many people watching over her, she'll be sick of us," Margarette laughed, glad to hear the chuckle at the other end. 

"Oh geez, that reminds me," Marcus muttered. "What are we going to do about Irene? I mean, we've got to tell her, right?"

"Ugh." Margarette rubbed her temples. "I can't believe your brother married a human girl without even TELLING her... How do you think she'll take it?"

"Eh..."

Margarette sighed. "Alright, alright, let's just wait to tell her. You can keep an eye on your little princess in the meantime."

"How long will it take to get some guards out, do you think?"

Margarette laughed. "You kidding? The instant they hear what I have to tell them, they'll be moving in."

"That definitely sounds like them," Marcus chuckled. "I guess I'll hit the sack now. I'm heading over there tomorrow. You going to get some sleep?"

"I'll sleep later. I'm not going to take any chances with this. I'll be heading out to headquarters right now."

"Heh, good thinking. Night Marg."

"Night."

Margarette replaced the phone, staring at the peeling wall of her apartment. Marcus was right. She hadn't thought about what this would do to the kid. What kind of person would Serenity be when she grew up? Margarette shook her head. Tomorrow, she would meet the princess, a rambunctious six year old. Grinning, she grabbed a blank disk and rolled back over to the computer, saving the file. Humming slightly, something she didn't normally do, she scribbled on the disk, pocketed it, and grabbing her coat and keys, left her apartment.

Her blood was rushing as she walked down the concrete steps to her car. The air was thick, the fresh smell of oncoming rain, and she soaked it in as she scooted into her silver Buick. So many plans to make! 

The need for guards was real. But how many would they need? Who? 

They had to be the best. All precautions must be made. Maybe that vampire and shapeshifter team from New York... 

Her thoughts hummed, just barely touching the subject of what safe house to bring the girl to as she swerved into a parking lot, jogging, mostly from excitement, to the glass doors, and pushing inside. Her heels clicked on the marble floor as she craned her neck around to see anyone. The sharp fluorescent lights shone on the empty room. Emily wasn't even at the front desk. A shuffle turned her gaze to the back, and she caught a glimpse of one of the teenagers that helped out there. 

"Hey Mike, is Artemis around?" she called, hanging up her coat on the wall next to some plants.

She turned around as he sauntered in. "No," he said, not even giving her a glance. "He should be here in a bit though. What you want to see him for?"

Margarette grinned, giddy to finally be able to tell someone. "We've found her!"

Mike looked over to her with curious emerald eyes. "Found who?"

"Oh, just the little princess," she sang with a shrug and triumphant smile. She didn't notice Mike's sharp look and creased brow. His eyes darted around the room.

"Wow... Can't believe it," he finally said. He exhaled sharply, squelching a certain line of words.

"I know! Isn't it amazing?"

"Yeah," he muttered, "Unbelievable." Mike stopped, the corner of his lips twisting into a slight smile. "Hey Margarette," he said casually, "You mind helping me get some stuff from my car? Seems like you have to wait anyway."

"Hmm?" Margarette looked up. "Oh yeah sure," she smiled, going through the door he held open for her. Mike smirked at her back, his pupils dilating as two fangs elongated gracefully against his lips. 

God, where was she, Marcus thought, tapping his foot as he listened to the endless rings over his cell. She always had her phone with her. Sighing, he pocketed his phone, donning a smile when the door opened just as he was about to knock for the second time.

"Uncle Marcus!" something yelped, wrapping itself around his waist. He laughed, ruffling the little blond head as he walked inside.

"Hello princess."

He watched as Serena tugged at his arm, blue eyes bright as she bounced like a jumping bean while enthusing about what they'd do that day. 

"Oh Marcus, you're here," Irene breathed as she walked out of the hallway. She kissed his cheek and sighed before turning to the grinning blonde. "Serenity, go get your shoes on." 

The girl bounced into the living room, stuffing dirty sneakers over her bare feet.

Marcus pulled away from the cute sight, eyeing Irene with her strained eyes and black hair trapped in a chaotic bun. "You look horrible." 

She laughed. "Ever so blunt. Just the story I'm working on, deadlines and all," she said, waving her hand with a strained smile.

Marcus nodded sadly. His brother's death was still hard on her.

"Can we go now? Pleeeaaasseee?"

"But I just got here," he laughed before jerking his head in the direction of the door. "Go ahead into the car. I'll be there in a sec." 

Without a moment's waste, the ball of sunshine scrambled out the door.

He turned back to Irene. "I'll probably be back with her sometime tonight. That okay?"

"Oh that's fine," Irene said. "Oh Marcus, PLEASE make sure she doesn't talk to strangers. You know how she is.... One minute she's in front of you and the next.... Ugh, God knows who she's chatting to..." 

Her mouth opened again, but Marcus silenced it with a kiss to her cheek. "Don't worry, she'll be fine. Just rest today, Irene, you need it." 

Without waiting for a reply, he slipped out the door.

Marcus sighed contentedly, breathing in the warm air. 

"Higher, Uncle Marcus, higher!" squealed Serena. 

He chuckled, waiting for her to swing back before catching a hold of her waist and bringing her back further, higher, and then letting go. The squirt almost paralleled the swing set's bar; to hell if she says that's not high enough. 

Taking hold and slowing her down, he ignored her Awes. "Hey, it's almost twelve. Want me to get us some hot dogs?"

Serena nodded furiously, idly scuffing the floor of small sand dunes and twisting the chains of the swing. 

"Kay, stay here. I'll be right back."

He glanced around and spotted the cart before jogging over the grass. Good, no one was in line. He rested his hands on the customers side and smiled at the mustached man behind it. "Two hot dogs please. Everything on one, no relish or mustard on the other."He waited patiently until he was handed the two hotdogs in their cardboard holders. Nodding a thanks and handing over two dollars and change, he turned to head back to Serena. He stopped, his mouth dropping open. 

The swing set was empty. 

Serena peeked around the tall bush at the man, fuzzy neon green leaves brushing her cheek. He sat lazily on one of the benches, sun glasses shielding his eyes and his head leaned back. She glanced around at the people scattered around. All of them were with other people. She sighed, scrunching her brow. "Guess it's up to me, then," she said to the scruffy brown teddy in her hand. She grinned. Teddy had mismatched buttons for eyes, and some stuffing peeked out from the seam where his arm hung, but she'd never let him go into the trash like her mom wanted. 

In her mind, she imagined the bear nodding his agreement. "Hmmm," she bit her lip. After a seconds thought, she gazed up to her left at the sheet of jagged leaves and frolicking flowers. They were so pretty! Reaching, she picked one, stuffing it in her nose. Oooh, they even smelled pretty. Her blue eyes twinkled as she glanced at the rose... then at the stranger... then back at the rose. 

Perfect. Clutching the flower, she pranced over the grass, and to the shaded area.

Once standing in front of the man, she stared at him a moment. Hands behind her back, she tipped on the heels of her feet, craning her neck. Was he sleeping? In any case, he didn't see her. Shrugging, she tugged on the black leather jacket. Ever so slow, the man lifted his head. His mouth laid in a thin line, his arms still slung across the bench.

"Get away from me kid," he said. Not angered, but soft and dismissive. 

"Why?" Serena asked, undaunted as she tilted her head. 

The man frowned at her, as if trying to figure something out. He shook his head, he looked away from her. "Didn't your mom tell you not to talk to strangers?"

Serena's nose crinkled. "Mom's a worrywart like Auntie Beth always says."

The man stayed silent. Stubborn people. Sighing, Serena plopped onto the bench. "Why you at the park alone?"

"Why are you?" he returned, his head still tilted up.

Serena scrunched her face. "Do you always answer a question with a question?

"Do you always have a million questions?"

"Yep," Serena giggled. She began swinging her legs idly, humming a made up tune.

A minute of hums later, the man shifted and turned towards her. "What do you want, kid?"

Serena stared gaily around the park, ignoring the question. "You know you haven't smiled since I've seen you," she said. "My mom says it makes you feel good when you smile. It's easy to get grumpy when you don't." She peeked a glance at the man. There was a quirk on his lips and he was shaking his head. 

Encouraged, Serena pressed on. "You have any family?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Ugh, there goes the questions "again," Serena thought with disgust. "Cause you're at the park alone. Don't you have anyone to play with?"

The man smirked. "Yeah," he said smoothly, "it's just not the kind of play that you have in mind, kid."

What other kind of play is there? Serena shook the question off. "You never answered about your family."

The man was silent for a bit, staring off into the distance. "A father and a brother; my sister and mother are dead."

Serena's eyes dropped before looking up. "My daddy's dead," she said. The man turned to her. Those sunglasses were really annoying. She squelched the temptation to take them off of him. He couldn't be _completely_ emotionless, for goodness sakes. 

"Sorry to hear that, kid."

Serena smiled at him. "So, have a girlfriend or wife or anything?" she said. 

"Think I'm old enough to be married?" the man chuckled.

Serena shrugged. "I dunno. How old are you? My uncle just married my aunt and he's twenty five."

The man leaned towards her. "You wanna know a secret?" he breathed. Serena grinned and nodded furiously.

"I'm over three hundred years old."

Laughing, Serena shook your head. "You can't be! You'd have a white beard a mile long!" 

"That's just 'cause I shave," the man said, sitting back.

Giggling, Serena said, "You're funny." 

"Well, that's the first time anybody said that. Trust me, I'm not a nice person, kid."

"You're not very convincing," she informed. Serena stopped and looked around. Did someone call her name? Oh shoot! Her eyes widened at the distant form of her uncle. 

"My Uncle's looking for me," Serena groaned. "I better go. You want this flower? It smells real pretty and everything!" She held out the light pink rose in her hand. The man just stared at it.

"Don't you know anything? When someone gives you a gift... _you take it_." 

Silly man, Serena giggled, pushing the flower into his hand and scrambling away.

The man slipped off his sunglasses, staring at the girl's back with clear blue eyes. He looked at the rose in his hand, fingering the creamy petals. Shaking his head, he glanced up, but the girl was gone.

Mike whistled as he opened the metal door. The click resounded heavily, and he pushed his way inside the dark warehouse. Tossing his jacket, he walked around to the open room where a lone blue light dangled from the ceiling and clutter of iron beams. 

"Hello stranger," murmured a sultry voice as a pair of arms wrapped around his waist. 

He grinned, turning around and cupping the girl's face. Her skin was tinted a silvery blue from the light. His arms slithered around her form as he captured her lips.

When he pulled away, the girl drooped her thick eyelashes, and pouted her gleaming red lips. "You hardly come here anymore."

"I know," he breathed, "But I think I finally got something."

Her silver eyes gleamed at him as she slipped out of his embrace and walked over to a counter, bringing a glass of wine to her lips as she cast him a sly look. "Oh?" She rose an eyebrow.

"They're dumb asses," Mike laughed.

"Oh come on, tell me something I don't know."

He loved seeing her pout. Grinning, he slid his arms around her waist. 

"I'll tell you something that even the Elders don't know."

He watched her eyes widen in interest.

"You know the legends? About the Lunarian Royals?"

Slowly, Kia nodded. "Yes. One hasn't been seen in..." she stopped, and just gazed at him with her mouth open, as if dreading to speak her thought. "That... that prophecy?"

Mike nodded and smiled.

"No, this can't be happening. It can't be true," Kia said, her voice stretching higher. "It's a foolish prophecy they made up! They wanted to frighten us, to think there was some hope. It's not true."

"I thought so too," Mike chuckled, bringing one of Kia's hands to his lips. 

Kia breathed deeply as she closed her eyes and cursed rapidly in an ancient language. She stopped. Looking at him suspiciously, she questioned, "Why are you so happy?"

Grinning, Mike leaned down and breathed in her ear. "I know who the princess is." He leaned back enough to see Kia's stunned face, gloatingly slipping the floppy disk out of his pocket and waving it before her face. 

Letting out her breath, Kia leaned against the counter as if needing the support. Once again, she muttered in an ancient language. "Arithmea K'i ilaa"

"It's all here, Kia. On this disk. That fool, Margarette, happily told me the good news," he laughed. "It was easy to get the disk. And with her out of the way... Circle Daybreak won't get to know about their princess," he shook his head with a false pout and saddened voice.

Kia threw her head back and laughed, a cold sweeping sound that always thrilled him. Sighing, she looked back to him. "Have I told you that I loved you lately?"

"Yes," Mike said, his smile widening.

Kia twirled her fingers against his cheek. "So, what do we do from here?" She nodded to the disk. "Go to the Elders?"

"No, we get the girl."

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Violet Attitude:  
http://violetAttitude.homestead.com  
E-mail Stargirl152001@cs.com


	2. Chapter 2

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Secrets of the Night

CHAPTER TWO

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By Stargirl

"God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear, even

if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea." Psalm 46:1-2

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Yay, I finally finished the second chapter! *Dances* It seemed like the terrible two's of writing for awhile there… Write chapter TWO for The Switching of a Princess, write chapter TWO for Just an Orphan, write chapter TWO for Secrets of the Night. *sigh* But here we go. I'm not the happiest with it, but I think it's okay. If you have any suggestions or ideas send them my way! I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments on this. Maybe it'll spur on a chapter three? ^__^ **Hugs** Star

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* * *

"Mrs. Talen?" the voice questioned over the phone.

Irene frowned, unsure of what dissettled her about the voice. "Y-yes. Who is this?"

"I'm a friend and co-worker of Marcus. Something important's come up. Could I talk to him? I believe he said he was going over there."

"Well… he's out with my niece. They went to the park, but they should be back soon…"

"No, no. I'll just catch him in the morning. Thank you for your help."

The man hung up. Irene pulled back, staring at the phone for a moment. Shaking her head, she set it down and turned away.

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* * *

Mike laughed, setting his head back on the worn brown sofa. Just that _easy_. He felt drunk. Dazed, giddy, on top of the world. Ready to send a victory cry.

"Mikey."

His eyes snapped open at the soft, throaty voice. He lifted his head and gazed at the girl in the hallway with an unreadable expression. The yellow light from the hallway splashed on the girl's back. Her face hid in the shadows, yet a pair of vivid green eyes, dueling his own, peered at him.

"I told you never to call me that."

She only stared back, her silence a clear sign to him that she was upset. 

"Where've you been?"

"It's none of your business."

The girl shook her head, wavy hair, collected in a ponytail, bouncing against her shoulders. "We used to be so close--"

"Lita." He looked up with a sharp look. Inside, he knew she was right. They had been close. But he wasn't the same as when he was twelve years old. And to hell if she wouldn't accept that.

He rose from the couch, blood prickling under his skin at his unsettled thoughts. He had called the gang together. He picked up his coat. "There's something I have to do."

"You're leaving again?" Lita demanded.

He tugged his coat on and headed out the door for his answer.

Lita's eyes narrowed from where she stood. What was he up to? He didn't give any clue that something was up through his actions, but… that phone call. It didn't make any sense. Who was Mrs. Talen? Mike didn't have "co-workers" unless referring to his friends. But none of them were named "Marcus."

She shook her head. He thought she hadn't accepted that he was different. But he was wrong. She had for a long time now. She never wasted time guessing, and this time wasn't any different. Her eyes set in determination, and jaw set stubbornly, she grabbed her own jacked and left the apartment.

* * *

Mike chuckled, and leaned against the brick wall. He was going to get a response out of this. "She's six."

Val stared. Jair stared, eyes widened. Pierce goddamn choked. "As in YEARS?"

"Yeah, as in years." He smiled. Cool, mocking. 

Pierce turned and threw up his arms. "Oh great! Now I just KNOW tonight will be thrilling. Can't we just… I dunno," he pulled his fingers threw his blonde hair, "Wait until she's older. Least we can have a little fun then."

What an idiot. Mike grimaced. Val finally spoke up, but his voice rose soft and chilling, his eyes still their narrowed intensity. "Don't be a fool, Pierce. If we wait till she's older, she'd be powerful enough to kill you on sight. Mike's right… it has to be now."

Mike nodded at pierce then turned with an eyebrow to Jair who straightened and smirked.

"Let's do it."

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* * *

Serena fidgeted as her legs grew sore over her uncle's arms as she held onto him piggyback style. 

"Hey, be careful up there," Uncle Marcus said, "and don't get any of that in my hair!"

Serena giggled, swinging her legs a final time before digging her head in the crook of a prickly neck and biting into her chocolate icecream cone. "Hey, Uncle Marcus…"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you never around much?" she asked, brow furrowed.

He kept walking for a moment, as they edged out of the shadows into the glow of the next like placed around the park, then stopped, his head turning slightly to the right. "Guess I haven't been around as much as I'd have liked to. My job's a bit… consuming at times. But you know what? I'm going to be around _a lot_ more often."

"Really?" Serena grinned, her arms tightening around his neck. 

"Ah… You bet," he said, nodding and motioning with his hand as best as he could with her leg imprisoning his arms. "Every single minute of every day. I'm telling you, you'll be sick of me in no time. You really will."

Laughing, Serena shook his head. "No, I won't."

He shook his head and lowered it. Her uncle was funny. If only Uncle Kent could be like him. She couldn't remember the two ever being together. Mom would always pat her and say that it was for the best. 

  
Uncle Marcus had stopped, obviously completely falling into his tirade of self-pity. "You won't like me anymore. You really won't. You'll be begging me to leave. You just won't like me anymore," he paused for a sob.

"You're weird." Serena kept laughing. 

The mourning voice abruptly became indignant. "No I'm not. I am not weird."

"Uh huh, weird."

"Not."

"Are."

"Want me to drop you?"

Biting down a grin, Serena suddenly pushed a half-eaten icecream cone in front of his face. "I'm done."

After an awkward moment of her uncle trying to reach the cone with his arms resembling a midget's, he dropped the cone into the tin trash can next to the light... and proceeded with a disgusted noise. "Ugh, you didn't warn me it was melting!" 

Serena giggled, watching him examine the sticky brown goo on his hand. 

"You think this is funny?"

She just barely peeked over his shoulder before letting out a squeak of mhh-hmm. 

"You're disgusting you know that---Oh! Wait a minute. I can wipe it on this brown rag. You know it's just so convenient I'm carrying it..."

Serena's head shot up as she screeched, "No!" 

"What, what's wrong---Oh, all right, I won't. There's a water fountain up next to the library over there." 

Settling a bit, but still with an indignant frown, Serena said, "Give me Teddy," and promptly curled up on his back as she hugged the "brown rag." 

"That wasn't funny," she mumbled into his neck. 

"Awe, I thou--" his voice trailed off.

Serena felt his body stiffen, and craned her neck to see a hard-set face that was very different from before. His jaw was tight, everything but his eyes completely still. 

"Wha---Uncle Marcus?" Serena said, almost afraid to be heard. Was it something she said? But… he was looking around the park… Serena looked up too, suddenly nervous. Everything was quiet. Just the swaying branches, lake, and blotches of light from the street lamps. But… something was wrong. She looked back to her Uncle, unable to see his face. 

"Uncle Marc---"

"Quiet." 

It was soft and sharp. She had never heard her uncle sound like that. Trying to push back the hurt, she averted her gaze. Her stomach felt queasy. She turned her head, not sure what she was looking for when she was caught in a pair of eyes from the shadows. Just that, a pair of eyes. Cool green, staring right at them, at her. Her body trembled, and this time her voice was dazed, whimpering. "Uncle Marcus…"

He paused from telling her to quiet again, and slowly turned his head and saw what she did, and his hold on her legs tightened as curt word came from under his breath. 

The eyes were moving closer, and a body was revealed by smooth washes of light that glided over it. A young man, with black or dark brown hair and a grin playing at his lips.

Serena's eyes widened, breaths growing rapid. His teeth, the man's teeth, they were sharp! No… her small fingers tightened on Marcus's jacket.

Marcus stepped back on instinct even before three others stepped into view. His heart thumped in his chest, his adrenaline rushing and muscles readying for action. There wasn't time for fear when dealing with such creatures.

Was it just a gang out for a hunt? Or… did they know? But they couldn't… Marcus' breath caught as he watched the leader.

The vampire's smile grew with a smile that held the answer. "You know what we want. Why don't you just hand that little sunflower over to us?"

Marcus' jaw hardened.

The vampire shook his head with a laugh. "Of course. That damn loyalty thing. Your race has always had that weakness."

"Uncle Marcus?" Serena squeaked, not taking her eyes off of the creature. 

The vampire was the one who responded. "Well hello little girl, you are a cute thing aren't you?" One of the other shadowed figures let out a grunted laugh, the rest simply smiling.

Thoughts rushed through Marcus as fast as his blood. Fragments of thoughts. Serena had to be safe. A slim chance he would live. But he had to protect her. His fists tightened over the girl's slim legs hanging by his sides as he took a steadying breath. Beth. Sadly, the name drifted in his mind along with her smiling face, mousy brown curls framing its cherubic shape. They hadn't been married that long. Oh Beth. He could scarcely bear the thought of leaving her.

He swallowed, teeth still clenched, eyes alert. He stepped back once more. Some hedges were behind him. He turned his head slightly, talking under his breath. "Serenity, listen to me carefully. When I tell you, go through those bushes and run. Ran fast, get out of the park."

"I dun wanna--" she began to whimper.

He hooked his arm through both of her legs, slipping his right hand up to squeeze one of her arms that encircled his neck. "No. You'll be safe as long as you don't come back."

"I'm scared."

He swallowed, nodding his head as he massaged her hand, taking it into his. The next words he spoke were just as soft, but no longer directed to Serena. "Alna K'trais, Senca c'lai." Her murmured, letting Serena slip down his back, tugging her hands away from his legs. The three vampires shared a look but didn't make a move.

"Now Serenity!" He pushed her back and lunged forward, a gold crackling ball conjuring in his cupped hands as he did so. He threw it at the head vampire. The lean form stumbled back a few feet, the magic shocking the creature's skin. After a still moment, the vampire looked up, eyes dark and a laugh on his lips. Rolling his shoulders, he walked forward, the three other vampires suddenly behind him.

****

* * *

Serenity grunted, running so fast that it was hard to keep balance. She pushed herself away from a tree she began to swerve into, feet tripping on roots that creeped from the grown. Her chest pounded, mind thick. What was happening? Was Uncle Marcus okay?

A human cry broke through the park, stopping her in her tracks. Her slight muscles tensed and trembled. Uncle Marcus! She had to go back. Breaths still quick, she whipped around. She took a few steps before hurrying, winding around the last few trees. She wasn't near a light as they only followed the sidewalks. The shadowed trees brought goosebumps to her arms. A bird cooed, nestled invisibly in the branches above. She lunged forward, scared, needing to see Uncle Marcus to reassure herself. A form suddenly moved in front of her. A tall and smooth form. Green eyes grinned down at her and a wash of dizziness and panic followed.


	3. Chapter 3

**__**

Secrets of the Night

CHAPTER THREE

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By Stargirl

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Chapter three! :) Star has been doing some writing. I have almost to chapter five, I'll be putting them up gradually. Keep up the reviews! They're a big motivation. Enjoy! **---star**

* * *

"Uncle Marcus!" Serena's cry was broken, a despairing and fearful sound. "Uncle Marcus!" 

The man before her just chuckled. Uncle Marcus—wherever he was—didn't respond. 

Her shaky legs stepped backed when a pair of arms slipped around her and lugged her into the air as if she were a doll. She shrieked like a broken record. 

The man who held her muttered. "Can I shut her up at least, Mike?" he barked to the one who found her. 

Mike sighed and gave an annoyed nod. 

Pierce grinned, turning the girl around as he set her on the ground and squatted. He cupped his hands over her tiny ones with a mockingly sweet smile. She was quiet, staring at him with wide eyes. "Now, you're going to be quiet for us, right? If not, I'm just going to have to break every one of these little fingers of yours." 

Mike rolled his eyes at Pierce's antics.

Serena yelped and tore her hand from his. She whipped her gaze to Mike. "Where is Uncle Marcus?" she whimpered. 

"_Uncle Marcus_ had to go away. But you can call me Uncle Mike." 

Serena was shaking her head, slowly backing away from the two. She turned and ran.

Not worrying he nodded. "Val, grab her." 

She barely disappeared in the darkness before a squeal sounded and Val walked up with her over his shoulder with choruses of "Let me down!" 

He let himself enjoy a grim smile as they slipped out of the trees and off the grass. Jair drove up in the car with a grin turned to the slightly subdued girl in Val's grasp. Without a word, they herded her inside. 

Serena clenched her trembling teeth, fingers curling around her teddy bear. The Mike person spoke to her from in front, but she ignored him and the rest of the drive was silent with only flashes of white light sliding over the interior of the car from streetlights. 

Her mind accepted the creatures in the car far easier than an adult's would. Learning and observing the world around her, and yet still not having a grip on the reality that mankind had adapted. Still in the years where shadows seemed to move in her room and nightmares were something to be afraid of. Monsters being real was just another thing to be realized. 

Did all adults know that these type of people existed? She wondered, her stomach queasy. Why had Mommy not told her? She had never had that impression. Her thoughts fiddled with images from fairy-tales with monsters. Didn't they eat little girls? She shrunk in her seat between the two men with a silent whimper. 

And that was when the driver cried out and the car swerved off the road and barreled a tree on the edge of a small clearing. Serena's body shook as she stared widely into the shadowed car from her jabbing position from the feet area, the hand that wasn't clutching her bear grasped over the cushioned head rest of the passenger seat. Already, the occupants of the car had shot out of the car, alert eyes stretching across the field, through the trees, and down the road. 

Serena crawled to the door and peaked out. A breeze touched her face, cool and inviting. Crickets serenaded lightly from the trees, hanging their soft harmonizing sound in the air. She sucked in a breath. The people—they weren't paying attention to the car. The fact laid odd within her but she stumbled out, partly crawling and partly running across the damp grass. 

A shout rose from behind her and without even looking she knew they were after her. She gasped on a cry, her legs feeling like Jell-O still from the chaotic jumble in the car. They were going to catch her. She couldn't run, and they were so fast!

But then something resembling a dog swifted by her, only a glimpse in her vision. It stopped once it passed her, a threatening form that growled and bared its teeth 

* * *

__

(A Little While Earlier) 

Lita was agitated. She narrowed her eyes into the night that more resembled dawn with the moon glowing above. Cars had grown sparse. She lifted her stern chin and sniffed the air and then studied the lone tire tracks on the road before giving a nod. 

She had first traced her brother to the park… an odd place to find him. There she found a dead man, his throat was unharmed—he was simply killed. But why? Then along with the scent of her brother and his friends, there was one she didn't recognize. And then on the road, their scent went faint and it took her longer to track. 

But this was it. They went this way. There were no turns for a long time on this road. 

And it was time to catch up. 

She lifted her head, long neck showing. And with a snapping thought in her mind, as effective as a switch, her body began to change. It rippled, fur growing on her skin like a plague as her clothes melted away and she shrunk to the ground. Her bones shrank and transformed and she lost herself to the refreshing sensation of their cracking and moving. At the end, she shook her head and back, fur jiggling like a dog's after a bath. And she stood on four legs with large paws that hid retracting claws. A tail swished behind her and then she ran, paws digging into the dirt and grass and propelling her far as she followed the road. 

This was the form she loved. As a wolf, her sense of smell strengthened to their fullest, sharp pointed ears sensitive to every sound of the forest. It was like breaking free from chains and finally being able to experience the world.

Even with her speed, it took long. A few miles at least. Finally her dog-ears perked, collecting the thumming sound of a car. She spurred on until she could see the rust-colored vehicle. She slowed, keeping along the trees and just in back of the car to prevent any notice of her. 

Now that she found them, it was irritating that she wasn't sure what to do. Just follow them? See where they went? Or take action now? 

Lita liked action. It thrived in her blood, made her mind race with the thrill and her body—wolf or human—feel victorious. 

She grinned mentally and shot forward and then lunged at the car. 

Without even a thought about the pain on impact, she felt like laughing as she slipped off the surface and landed in some shubbery. She laid there, panting as her tail swished. Her gleaming black eyes watched as the car swerved off the road and barreled into a tree. 

Who's car was that again? Jair's or Val's? It'd be nice if it was Val's. She disliked him the most. 

Mike and his three friends instantly slipped out of the car, eyes dilated and piercing through the silvery darkness. They were quiet, alert, and ready to kill. 

She smirked inside, wondering if they knew it was her. Amusement vanished as she turned her nose to the trees. Someone else was in there, watching. Her curiosity though vanished as her front paws pushed her up, ears perked with an inaudible whine from her throat. Something small was scrambling out of the smashed car. A kid. A small girl with sunshine hair and some sort of stuffed animal clutched to her body as if it were her lifeline. What was her brother doing with a _kid_. She turned to him, eyes narrowed, barely able to contain a growl. 

The girl was slipping away and Lita watched her and the others closely. They still hadn't noticed her. But then they did, and Lita took action. With a lunge and sweeping run she reached past the girl, standing in between the shocked kid and the four vampires. Her brown fur arched on her back, the growl in her throat now freely rumbling into the air. 

Mike leveled a surprised and angered gaze to her. 'Lita, what the hell do you think you are doing?' It was a snapping thought sent to her mind, crackling with his frustration. 

She could have asked the same of him. She lowered her head, claws stretching into the dirt. It wasn't like her brother to kidnap children, or have anything to do with them. Neither him or his friends found any sport in it. Something wasn't right. But for now, she needed to protect the girl. As she looked at Mike, she couldn't see him as a brother. No feeling would conjure, just a numb sadness that was faint---faint enough to barely notice. Mike's teeth had elongated into fangs. He was only her stepbrother, though she had never really bothered with that fact before. He was a vampire and she a shapeshifter. She had loved him as a sister. And he had loved her too. Long ago, he had. 

Yes, long ago. She charged at him.

Serena seemed to curl in on herself, sockless, sneakered feet planted to the ground. A firm thought grew in her mind that she would never fear wolves again. 

The wolf was ferocious, but it was protecting her. With bewilderment, she was sure of that fact, and she held onto it in her tiny mind as hard as she held onto her teddy---Mr. Carrots. She hugged him tighter. Mom had tried to talk her out of naming it Mr. Carrots, after her previous stuffed animal that had been a rabbit, but she wouldn't listen. 

Serena jumped at a yelp from the wolf as it was thrown by one of the monster-people. But it just lunged back and the chaotic fight with the four bad people continued. Four. Her brow creased in worry. 

Vampires, these things were vampires. She finally remembered their name. The boy next door had dressed as a vampire for Halloween the previous year. She had made fun of his plastic teeth that kept falling from his mouth. She hadn't believed they were real then. 

One of the vampires didn't get up from the ground—didn't move. The others ignored him. Curses from them and yelps from the wolf melded together as they blurred in her sight. Moving so fast. And then… 

The wolf didn't get back up. 

Her breathing locked, her impulse to go to it not carried out by her body. The green-eyed vampire was looking at her. 

  
A whinnying sound came from Lita's throat. She could barely lift her head. Her brother was walking to the girl when she remembered. The revelation that she couldn't ponder earlier---that someone else was in the trees. Even as she recalled it, the person was there, in front of the trembling girl, with the grace only vampires seemed to possess. She recoiled in shock as much as her lame position would leave her. 

The new arrival on the field stood calmly, unfazed at the three other vampires, but a burning in his eyes. Striking blue eyes that peeked through a shroud of ebony hair. He wore a sleek leather jacket. His face, though pale and beautiful like many vampire's, held an allure all if its own. 

Lita's thoughts raged liked an animal set loose, more bewildered than the actions of her brother. It couldn't be. But it was him---protecting a human girl… Before that night, she never would have thought it possible. There were so many rumors and talk of him, too much for it all to be false, and too many knowing first hand. This man was far worse than any vampire. It defied all logic.

And so she just watched, unable to help with her aching wolf body and too stupefied to think. 

Serena couldn't move from where she stood. She recognized that man. The one from the park! She had to bite her lip to quell the impulse to run to him. 

His eyes were dangerous, holding a glint she hadn't seen before. He looked odd in the moonlight, less natural. Her breath sucked in with a sharp realization. Two pearly white teeth in delicate fangs protruded onto his lower lip. 

She watched him with wide trusting eyes. 

A smile suddenly filtered across his lips and his hand leveled with his chest, fingers moving in smooth motions as if he were caressing them together. He looked down to his hand with a grin. The three vampires looked down as well, all frozen and seeming as if they would beg if given the chance.

Serena's eyes stuck on the rose that was now in the smooth pale hands. A black rose with sharp thorns, the green drifting to red at the points. It crackled. She didn't know how, but it was as if lighting were dancing through the petals and around the stem, unharming his skin despite it seeming very capable of being lethal. And lethal it was. 

One minute, all Serena could see was the rose within his hands, the next, a blur of motion and the sharp thorny stem of the rose lodged in the shoulder of the closest vampire who's breaths after a sharp cry went strangled. His body had jolted as if he had been shot with lightening. 

And then the vampire's body collapsed. He didn't get back up. She doubted he ever would again.

She trembled as the deathly roses shot towards the other two, pounding into their flesh with the same reaction as the first. Death.

She felt cold. Scared. Worn. But grateful. The bad guys were gone. 

The man from earlier didn't look at her, but slipped into the forest as silent as he had come. Mr. Carrots slipped from her fingers, the teddy bear sadly flopped in the wet grass as she went to the brown wolf laying on the ground. Its chest heaved with steady breaths, and it turned its dog-like head to he. There was red puddling in the silver-brown fur. 

There was something about looking into the eyes of a wolf. Something disconcerting and alluring at the same time, filling her with a sense of awe. She hadn't seen many wolves in her short years---just the ones at the zoo. She had pressed her hands and nose against the bars and looked down into their habitat area with wide eyes. The wolves had captivated her… but looking at their eyes, she didn't feel the pull like she did now. It wasn't a connection with another, like this felt. Maybe it was because the wolves at the zoo hadn't returned her gaze, maybe because they weren't that close. But inside she knew that wasn't it. 

When she reached out to pet its head, a wash of bright light slid over her form from the road. Tires screeched to a halt and she recognized the light as headlights of a car. She watched widely from where she sat as a middle aged couple scurried out. The woman's arms were lifted, heeled feet demure but fretting as she made her way down the small slope. "Oh dear, oh dear…" was murmured under her breaths. Then she called, "Are you all right?"

The thin man with a glasses set on a beaky noise was inspecting the car. "Sam," the woman called. "Sam, call the ambulance!" 

The woman made a move towards Serena when she recoiled with a strangled gasp. "Sam, get over her quick!" She was eyeing the wolf with a horrified expression. "Honey," she turned to Serena with a coaxing voice, "honey, come here. Slowly." She waved her hands to beckon as if Serena were a cat or dog. 

"But it's hurt," Serena retorted. 

"I can see that, dear, but it's dangerous. Please come over here." The woman's eyes were terrified. Serena couldn't understand it. The bad people were gone. 

She looked awfully worried though. Serena cast an apologetic glance to the wolf and reluctantly stood up and crept towards the woman who kept urging her forward. 

The woman instantly whisked her onto the road and fretted over her while the tall man with the beaky nose shone a flashlight on the wolf while talking on a cell phone. Serena wanted to protest, but the woman's hand stayed firmly on her shoulders. She wasn't sure how much she liked these people anymore. If that man poked the wolf with a stick she would blow a fit. But her mouth stayed shut, and her feet firmly in place. 

There was a commotion from the couple when they came across the bodies in the field. The woman looked as if she wanted to throw-up. Her thin red lips were tight, eyes strained as she tried to keep Serena from looking. She acted as if Serena hadn't already seen the bodies, let alone witnessed their demise into that motionless form. But Serena kept quiet and let the woman try and keep her vision away. 

"Is the wolf still there?" the woman asked.

Serena glimpsed the flashlight swinging over the grass and the man answer, "Yes." 

Her obedience of the two people wavered at the need to go and comfort the wolf. She looked at the woman with pleading eyes, but the woman wasn't paying attention to her. Then she heard loud whooping sounds---sirens. And then she saw the flashing lights as the vehicles headed towards them like a parade. The man with the beaky nose waved to them. 

Her eyes squinted at the painful bright lights and noise. Shouts and instructions could be heard as men piled around the area. Bright white lights flooded the grass clearing. On the crushed car. And on the bodies. 

It was then that Serena realized that they looked like ordinary teens. A rough gang, but still human teens. There were no pearly pointing teeth that she could see as she inspected their still faces from where the woman kept her on the road. With some of their eyes sickeningly open, she saw nothing odd about their eyes, eyes that she would have sworn were like an animal's, the colored and black parts taking over most of the white. Men were over their bodies, feeling their wrists and examining their faces. She could have told them that they were dead if they had asked. Right now though, she wanted to tell them that they were monsters. But they didn't ask, and the words lodged in her throat as the woman's arms rested on her shoulders. 

So she watched. They were shaking their heads at the scene, grimaces directed at the hurting wolf. And then she knew what they were thinking. Her eyes widened in alarm. They were putting tape around the wolf's mouth and moving it into a large carrier. They hefted into a van. She yelped, ducking away from the woman and ignoring her calls. 

A bad feeling was in Serena's stomach. Strong hands gripped her from all around even as she thrashed to get out. She stopped short. The doors to the van shut, cutting off her sight of the wolf, and the van started down the road. "No!" she shouted. They had it all wrong. These people had it all wrong. 

The woman squatted down before her, the men's grips still holding. She was making soothing noises, trying to calm Serena down. Serena looked her in the eyes, the blue depths showing her desperation. "What are they going to do with him?" she asked. 

The woman shook her head, as if unable to understand Serena's actions. "Everything will be okay, honey. These people know what they are doing." The woman soothed down Serena's blonde hair.

Serena didn't respond. Her lips stayed stubbornly pursed, eyes alert and yet dull. And that's how she stayed as the people around her brought a blanket around her and hoisted her into an ambulance. Only one thought slipped through her mind in her silence. They had it all wrong.

In the surrounding trees, a set of cool eyes watched as the ambulances and other vehicles pulled away. Slowly, the stragglers of the crew that seemed set to hover their lives away on the field, dispatched, and the area was quiet. He stepped into the clearing, a cool breeze on his face. He crouched and rose with something in his hands. A teddy bear.

* * *

It was too cold. The air-condition seemed on overdrive, and her skin numbed with the coldness. She swung her bare legs over the chair once. Only once. More then that would be a happy gesture, like a dog wagging its tail. 

Her arms wrapped around herself, a fighting retaliation to not having Mr. Carrots. She looked to the gray carpeted floor and then to the walls of the room. They were filled with happy pictures. A smiley face, flowers, a girl holding a kitten, colorful abstractions. 

When the pudgy man behind the gleaming desk shifted, she looked towards him. Her gaze locked on a plastic smiley face ball on the end of a spring that stood on his desk. The man had a teddy-bear face, but she didn't want to be here. And he was supposed to make her talk. 

Her mom looked at him with rapt attention from the chair next to her. 

The man shuffled papers on his desks before looking at Serena with a gentle smile. "I hear that you have been through quite the ordeal, Serena." 

She nodded numbly. 

"Your Uncle Marcus was found dead in the park," he said, a bit more serious. "How do you feel about that?"

Tears stung her eyes and her throat constricted. The man sighed at her silence, and she was only vaguely aware of him asking her mother to leave the room and the tired woman doing so. 

"Do you recognize this, Serena?" the man asked and she turned her gaze to him, her brow furrowing at what he held up. A sheet of paper with crayon drawings---_her_ crayon drawings. One was done in gray and brown, forming a body, a front leg and back leg, distorted head, and vibrantly scribbled tail---black zigzags made sharp teeth. Another had a peach circle under a mop of hair colored in with a face. She had colored in the eyes completely black, and drew two small triangles hanging down from the line of a mouth. 

"Why do you have it?" she asked. 

He set down the paper. "You're mother gave it to me. She was a bit upset by it." 

Serena's brow drew together. She didn't want it to upset anyone. 

The man leaned back, a hand tapping a pencil on his desk as he watched her. "Do you understand what happened the other night?"

"I think so…"

"Will you tell me?"

She was quiet and he leaned forward. "How about I tell you what I think happened… and you can tell me if I am right?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I think… that when you were in the park, those teens came up to you." Dr. Lockner paused and after a moment she nodded. "And they killed your uncle." 

Her lip trembled, but she nodded. 

"Did you see it happen?"

She shook her head and mumbled, "He told me to run."

Dr. Lockner nodded. "Yes. But then those teens caught you and kidnapped you." She didn't nod this time, but he took it as a yes and continued. "A wolf was in the road and the car crashed. Those boys got out and the wolf attacked them." He ended slowly, watching her carefully. 

She was looking at him now, but her voice was still soft. "It was protecting me." The teddy-bear faced man didn't theorize aloud that the wolf had killed the boys---just attacked. And it had attacked them. 

He put on an encouraging smile, but inside he sighed… almost wistful. It would be nice to believe that things like that happened---that a wolf would protect a child. There were rare circumstances of course, but he couldn't believe that this was one. The wolf had merely attacked the boys and she had interpreted it as it protecting her from them. It was a miracle she was alive. Perhaps between the car hitting it and the boys' attempts to protect themselves from it, the wolf was maimed enough.

He stared at the simple drawings on the paper before him and once again lifted it to her. He pointed to the almost human figure with a cautious gaze. "Do you know what you drew here?"

She nodded.

"Why did you draw it?"

She only looked down. He thought she wasn't going to respond, but then she spoke. "'Cause that's what they were."

"Who?"

She lifted her chin a fraction though she still didn't meet his gaze. "Those boys." She wouldn't mention the man from the park. They would say he was in on it too. She couldn't let them think that.

Dr. Lockner nodded his head, beginning to make some notes. Another twenty minutes were spent, though nothing more accomplished. His gentle proddings were only answered in silence or short words and he wouldn't push any further. Besides, he didn't feel it was necessary. A smile stretched on his face as he stood and leaned down with his hand outstretched to her. "Well Serena, it was very nice to meet you."

A reluctant smile crossed her face for a moment while she shook his hand, though it didn't reach her clouded young eyes. 

He smiled as she scrambled to the waiting area when he opened the door, idly fiddling with the games and toys there. Mrs. Talen stood before him in the hallway, hands fidgeting as her eyes looked at him with worry. A look he was far used to by parents. He gave her a reassuring smile. "Everything will be fine, Mrs. Talen."

She nodded, not speaking as if her throat were too tight.

"For the vampires… I'm concluding that she must have a great fear of them and since those boys I'm sure left a traumatic impact, that she associates them in those forms. I don't think it's anything to worry about."

"Okay," she said with a wobbly smile. "Thank you, Doctor." 

"Of course. How are you fairing with all this?"

Her eyes rolled on an exasperated sigh. "I feel like a wreck. When I think of what she went through." She shut her eyes tightly. "Her uncle was very dear to both of us. I'm almost thankful to that wolf for causing that car crash to stop those boys—I… I don't know if I would have seen her again if not. But when I think of how it killed them…" She took in a shuddering breath. "I'm scared stiff of wolves now, even dogs that resemble wolves. But God, I still can't get over it. She's almost obsessed with wolves now. She loves them. If that had been me…"

Dr. Lockner nodded. "Yes, she believes it was protecting her. Her actions are understandable. She's too young to realize and I wouldn't want to force to acknowledge it." They both started walking to the front. "The wolf has been put to sleep by now, I'm sure."

The girl in the waiting room obviously heard him. She shot right up and gave him her attention more then she had the entire time she was with him. "Is it okay? Is it awake? Can I go see it?" she bombarded them with questions. Her mother wouldn't tell her what happened to the wolf. But the man said they put it to sleep. That didn't sound too bad. 

Dr. Lockner's gaze skittered to the girl's mother who seemed at a loss. 

Irene looked at her daughter, trying to push away her helplessness. She wouldn't explain what being put to sleep was. It wasn't needed. "Serena… the wolf got away." 

Joy spread across her daughter's face, her cheeks dimpling. For the first time, she seemed happy since the incident. Despite Irene's horror at first hearing the news of how the wolf had surprised them by leaping out of the truck and oddly disappearing into a crowd of people—no screams to be heard, she was grateful. 

* * *

Kia watched the six-year-old blonde that scrambled out of the building and into the car with a clear gaze, her mouth a thin line. But her ice-blue eyes seemed to laugh. A breeze carried through the peaceful setting, ruffling her silver hair. Sooty lashes drooped over her eyes as she turned, slipping a grape into her mouth and crushing it between her teeth, rolling around the sweet liquid.

The wild grin that Mike had admired so much stretched across her face.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

****

Secrets of the Night

CHAPTER FOUR

__

By Stargirl

Alrighty, chapter four is up! If you can, ignore the prologue. I've discarded for awhile now but I don't know how to delete it from FF.net. ^_^;;

* * *

It was happening again. Oh God no, she thought, not at school.

Teens chatted in the hallway of lockers, swarming until they blurred in Serena's vision. Her hand reached out to the closest metal locker. Her head spun. Blinking, she tried to force the unbalanced waves out of her, concentrating her eyes on a smiley face sticker on the locker. Breathe, just breathe. Make it go away. You are not crazy, you are not sick, it will go away. She dipped her head, hoping the curtain of her blonde hair could hide her from her friends.

The flash that sparked like an electric burst around the edge of her vision quickened her heart. God, of all places. Within a minute, the blabber of the school floated a mile away, and all that pounded in her ears was a steady heartbeat.

She wasn't seeing the bustling hallway of Mitchell High anymore, but chaotic images that quickened and slowed, blurred than focused, unbalancing her brain. 

Red brown, shapes… Trees? Running, fear. Helplessness. The night. 

Serena… a hoarse whispery voice came over the thumps of her heart. Serena, you're the one. You're the one. It came like a magnitude of streams, pouring, moving, and whispering. Serena!

"Ah!" Her body jumped, face flushed as she realized where she was. 

"Serena," a voice persisted. But this time it was in the hallway, and it took her a dreadful moment to realize who was before her. 

She had to look up at him, before gazing blankly for a moment at the spurts of gold curls, smooth face, and eyes—black eyes. Justin Redfern. 

"Uh… hi," she mumbled.

She fidgeted as he looked at her, eyebrow raised.

"You okay?"

"Headache. Just a headache. A bad one though, I should uh, probably go to the nurse and see if she has any aspirin." She attempted a smile. 

A smile quirked at Justin's lips. Why did that irk her so much? She was never rash at judging people, but she really, really didn't like that guy. 

"Ah, too bad. Hope it'll clear up for next periods history test," his black eyes shone briefly. "I was going to ask you if you knew about the new club that opened?"

Her brow crinkled in desperation. Please, make him just say that it's a cool place and LEAVE. "Um, the Kyrinth? Yeah, I've heard of it."

"Well," he started smoothly, "I guess you can say my father owns it. It's a pretty cool place though. Think I might be able to see you there tonight?"

It wasn't a date, which meant she had no obligation to go. She liked that view and she didn't completely have to force her smile. "Yeah, maybe. I'm a bit busy so I can't say for sure--"

"She'll go!" a voice plunged in behind her and a bunch of red curls bounced in front of her view. Molly Phillips threw a twinkling gaze her way and Serena longed to knock every sweet freckle off her best friend's face. 

Molly's head darted to Justin with a perky smile. "She'll DEFINITELY be there. I've been trying to get her to go for over a week!"

A grin cracked Justin's lips, revealing many pearly whites. "Great." He turned his gaze on Serena. "I'll be sure to see you there then. Oh, and you better hurry and get that aspirin for your headache." 

Serena paused, wondering if she imagine the mocking tone when he said 'headache,' but then the greater problem sunk in, and she turned to glare at the red-head beside her. "Are you a complete idiot?" 

Molly crossed her arms with a lift of her chin. "No, are you?"

She knew that meaning well. Her gaze turned to Justin's retreating form slipping through the sea of teens—like a jaguar among lambs. Ever since he arrived last month, the school fawned over him. Even teachers. He was never reprimanded. No matter how late he was or how indifferent his attitude was. Of course, many times he appeared to be paying rapt attention to the teachers, but his eyes were mocking. She doubted he ever listened to them… and yet he always had an answer when they asked a question…

Girls made excuses just to see him, just to talk to him. He had shrugged off the others with an ease that was disconcerting… an aloofness she wouldn't have expected. And yet his eyes were always intense, often seeming to laugh, as if he knew a secret. And then he'd look at her with those eyes, as if he were sharing that secret and keeping it from her at the same time. He hadn't talked to her much---she would always duck out of it---but she couldn't help but be aware of his gaze on her, even as he was circled by a crowd who never noticed he wasn't listening to them. 

He always seemed to know when she was in the room. 

And she hated it.

Molly sighed with a roll of her eyes as she applied a shimmery coat of cherry lipstick and fluffed her red curling locks. "Even Evelyn is jealous of the attention he gives you," she exclaimed as she smacked her lips and looked at Serena pointedly.

"Well tell Evelyn that she can have him," Serena said and whirled down the hallway, Molly on her heels. They had the same class next. 

"You need to date," Molly said. 

"I do not." She was tired of this talk. Just because she didn't think of any of the guys at the school in that way didn't mean there was something wrong with her. Guys asked her all right. She would just refuse as lightly as she could and then beg her friend Andrew to attend the dances with her. He was like the big brother she never had and she enjoyed going with him, even though Molly insisted she go with a guy she could have more romantic relationship with. At first going to the dances with Andrew gave her blissful rest from Molly's pushing, but once the red-head realized she didn't have anything with Andrew besides friendship, the girl became the pest of the century. The sweet girl with red ringlet hair and freckles turned into a military person finding her mission. 

Serena slipped into their history class and into a seat near the front, tucking her feet under her chair and sitting up straight. She glanced back when she didn't feel a cool gaze embedded in her back. He wasn't there. She turned back around, relieved but not really surprised. Justin skipped classes a lot. Not that he ever got in trouble for it.

For the next hour she put in a fervent effort to pay attention. When the test had been placed in front of her the text seem to blur. But she knew the material, and once she tackled the test with military discipline she had time to spare. She shuffled through the papers, wondering if she could review it again. But she had been sure of the answers and checked it over three times. History was her favorite subject. Possibly because the teacher was her favorite. She looked up to the teacher who stood by the window with a book in one hand, seeming more like a drama or literature teacher about to fill the room with languid words from Shakespheare. Mr. Gray had cool eyes, artistic hands, and an intelligent face, blonde hair—bordering on white—always pulled back into a loose ponytail. At middle-age, she almost thought of him as her father figure—though she couldn't imagine telling him that. Mr. Gray was unlike any man she had met. Always so poised and—in her opinion—better fitting in the atmosphere of some palace.

She was fascinated by the languages he spoke, the depth of his knowledge of history. He never dressed in jeans or T-shirts like many of the other teachers. He wasn't considerably affectionate to his students, but he would always lend a smile to Serena and let her stay with him after school in the classroom where he would show her odd and very old objects and talk about them. History didn't seem like…well history, with him. She took in the words he said as if they were fairytales being told to a five-year-old.

Actually, as her mind skittered to Justin, she realized Mr. Gray was also the only teacher who showed a dislike to Justin. As if he saw the same thing that she did, which comforted her. It was easy to believe she was being over-reactive with no one else seeing anything wrong. 

With a friendly word with Mr. Gray and a "see you after school" she left with the mill of the students. When she was visiting with him after school in the dim room connected to his classroom, she was tense. Her thoughts kept slipping to the new club, unease rolling around in her stomach. Could she feign sickness maybe? No, she thought with a laugh, Molly would never believe that. 

She fingered a smooth wooden object that curved long like a humongous tooth on the table, trying to seem like she was studying it in the dim yellow light. "What's this one?" she asked, more to keep up appearances than out of curiosity. She couldn't find it in her to be curious at the moment.

Mr. Gray stood in back of her. "That would be a stake. Very old and unique."

She brow furrowed but then she grinned teasingly. "For what? To kill vampires?" His answer scared her.

"Yes."

He had to be joking. But she knew she didn't fully believe that. She forced out a tight laugh, suddenly feeling cold. "But you don't believe in that kind of stuff."

His pause made her throat tight. His smile crept over his lips, calming her. "No. But then who am I to say what is real?" He picked up the wooden stake and it gleamed under his fingers. "The person who owned this was real though. A beautiful woman with the allure and danger of a lioness." Mr. Gray was watching her carefully. "She claimed to have killed a thousand vampires with this. Her father and mother made it for her—" He traced markings on the wood—"They were very skilled. It's a work of art."

A work of art. She felt relief. That's why he liked the object. To him it was art, the history of some sort of legend. "It's nice," she said and he set the stake down.

She left then. Mr. Gray cast her an odd glance. It wasn't her like her to leave so soon. But she couldn't stay, couldn't bring herself to be interested in history—couldn't keep looking at the unusual stake. She wasn't sure where she wanted to go. Thankfully, it was still too early to leave for the club. 

With an idea though, she walked to the mall, steps considerably lighter. She would go see Andrew. She needed to see a friend who wasn't trying to match her up or drag her to a club. 

It did wonders on her spirit. A grin was in place as she walked into the café. Her backpack dropped to the ground and she slumped in a chair. "Hey Jane, Andrew here?" she called to a girl behind the counter that had a mop of tiny brown ringlets for hair. 

The girl smiled and shouted to the back. "Andrew, get your but out here." 

Andrew's blonde head peered out of the door, eyes lightening at Serena. He threw himself into the chair across from her. "Good timing. Joe was just about to make me clean the dishes."

"Fun," Serena said, lips pursed on the edge of their smile.

"So what's up?" He grabbed a soda from the counter and leaned back in the chair.

Serena shrugged. "Just wanted to stop by." She rolled her eyes. "Molly's gotten me into going to that new club---Kyrinth?---tonight. I swear that girl---" She stopped. Andrew's laughter had dropped, the muscles in his arms that showed from his rolled up sleeves taught. "Andrew?" she asked, her voice tentative. 

His hand clenched the soda can, the can crushing instantly. And then he shot up from the chair, throwing the can into the trash. His voice was tight. "You can't go there."

She looked at him from where she sat, eyes searching, her gut twisting. "Why?" 

His glare sent her mind reeling. "You just can't," he almost shouted. His face softened as he got a grip and realized how he was acting. "Look, Serena, there are things you don't know about it." Green eyes pleaded with hers. "Promise me you won't go."

Serena breathed in slowly and rose from the table. She forced a smile she hoped was encouraging. "I got to go. I'll see you later, Andrew." She pecked his cheek, trying not to notice how his eyes fell and fear entered them.

An hour later, after dropping her bookbag off at home and telling her mom were she'd be, she stood at the bust stop. Molly stood before the open doors of the bus, arms crossed and heeled feet apart, a condescending look swarming in her burning eyes. 

Serena lifted her head and met her gaze. She hadn't bothered to change her clothes of jeans and sleeveless pink top. 

After a minute Molly rolled her eyes and they both boarded the bus. 

* * * 

She hated it. Even before they went in. A voice inside screamed to go back when she saw just the metal doors. A huge rose was painted across both, black petals with thorns. Something bothered her about it. Her mind searched itself, but nothing came. Just the feeling. 

Molly pursed her lips and said matter-of-factly, "Kyrinth. I heard it means black rose in some language." A smile swept across her face. "You coming?" 

Her heartbeat thumped at the base of her neck. Nothing to be afraid of, nothing to be afraid of, she repeated over and over in her mind as they went inside. She flinched. The feelings from outside rose ten notches, scraping at her sanity. Her clammy hands gripped Molly's. 

For a moment she was lost, her mind swirling like the colored lights. Oh God, the lights. They flashed all over---blue, red, green, yellow---splashing on the dark forms of partying teens. Acid music vibrated inside her and pounded her eardrums, almost overpowering the sound of her heart. But in those moments her ears went numb to the music, as if it were muffled, and her eyes cast around, taking in the painted walls and blocks of area in flashes. Her breaths were short, hot, and strained, as if she were suffocating. 

And then Molly said, "Isn't this great?"

Serena looked to her friend, trying to put her stomach back in place. She hadn't been to many clubs. That was all. She wasn't used to the atmosphere. There was nothing __really__ wrong. Andrew's words just poisoned her mind. The panic left a bit as she kept rationalizing, leaving her with only cold nerves. 

She was only vaguely aware of Molly smoothing down her short pink dress and saying, "Oh God, I know that guy!" It hadn't been important to her still racing mind that she was trying to calm. But then the grip she had on Molly's hands was gone and all she saw was a glimpse of red curls disappearing into the crowd. 

"Molly!" She stood there shocked. Her friend hadn't just left her. She looked to the floor, training her breaths. Her nerves were raw, as if they were smashed by an ice-cold wave and left tingling. 

She stepped back—into a body. A teen with a smooth bald head with piercings. "Wanna dance?" 

Her shaking head was stiff as she gulped for air. Then she turned and scrambled farther into the writhing mass of teens. 

* * * 

Raye loved going to clubs. Liked the wild atmosphere, dressing up in daring red outfits and dancing for hours, feeling the music pound and vibrate her insides. 

But she didn't like this one. It was irritating her that she couldn't figure out why. There was no reason why she wouldn't love this place---why she couldn't enjoy it. She lifted her bare arms into the air, swinging her body to the rhythm—but there was no feeling or relish in the movements. 

Just a cold hallowness. She looked up, watching the dancing form of her boyfriend of that week, Jeff. There was something about Jeff. Something different than any other guy she went out with. A danger lurked beneath his thin languid form and laughing brown eyes. He wasn't the normal bad boy, she knew. They did wild things for a thrill, pushing the limits of the law and pulling pranks—childish in her opinion. But with Jeff… it was a simple danger. A kind that existed since the beginning of time. He didn't wear pounds of leather, have piercings, or even have a tattoo. He didn't need to.

He smiled at her. She didn't smile back, instead she closed her eyes and pretended she was too into dancing to notice. But in the next moment, her eyes snapped open with the feeling of Jeff by her side, hot breath in her ear. "I see someone I know, I'll be back. Don't have too much fun without me," he said, voice loud over the music but still smooth. 

She nodded and watched him slip into the sea of dark moving bodies. Tired of dancing, she walked through the dark and bright flashing chaos with unimpressed eyes, her lashes that drooped lush and black like her hair that flowed over her bare shoulders and to her waist. 

Pursing her red lips, she walked to one of the tables on an elevated floor. She kicked off her red heels and sat lazily on the cool table, one leg dangling with the other resting on a chair, back arched with her hands pillaring her body. 

A girl leaning against a wall near her seemed to perk in lazy interest at Raye's boldness, a glimmer of approvement in her ice-blue eyes. Raye looked at her, not letting her wariness or unsettlement show. With the chaotic lights it almost looked like the girl had white hair. It didn't make her look old—impossible with the girl's enviously smooth skin—but exotic. It didn't look bleached either. Too healthy—it slipped down the girl's figure like silk.

She was the kind of girl Raye wouldn't mind talking to. But then there was something she saw in the girl that made her hesitate. Something that reminded her of… Jeff. Yes. An elegant beauty enclosed in danger. Alluring while at the same time something clicked inside, an alert that whispered to stay far away. 

They didn't speak. But both of them were aware of each other. Then, the girl's eyes averted to something—or someone—in the crowd, then she grinned and left. Raye blinked, eyes still a lazy violet, but an interest drifted in them. She looked where the girl had looked she sat up in recognition. 

Serenity Talen, more commonly known as Serena. The girl's soft sunshine hair, almost as long as Raye's, and large blue eyes were unable to miss. The girl didn't see her. Even if she did, Raye wasn't sure if the girl would come up. They went to the same school, but didn't know each other well. They were too different, living on different sides. Raye had a hard background and lived on the wild side, Serena was the nice girl—not shy or timid, if she were Raye would probably have rolled her eyes in disgust and ignored the girl. No, Serena just had a kind nature, but there was a boldness in her that Raye had noticed. Honesty, she wasn't fake like many preppy girls at the school. Raye had watched as the girl chew out a few boys for discriminating a new girl in the school in some fashion of approval. 

Raye was bored right now, edgy in her surroundings for once. Quickly deciding, she waved until the girl looked up and then gestured her over with a turn of her head. 

Serena walked up with a smile. "Hi. It's Raye, right?"

Raye nodded, scooting back on the table to her original position. "Sit." She expected the girl to sit demurely in a chair, but Serena met her gaze and promptly sat on the table beside Raye. Raye quirked an eyebrow and grinned. Serena smiled back. 

…

The tension eased, Serena's fear rolling down and off her back. Raye threw her head back and laughed at what Serena said. "God, that Melvin kid actually did _that_?"

Serena nodded with a grin of her own. Why did she never talk to Raye sooner at school? She looked back into the crowd, the music not even bothering her anymore. The sick feeling was gone. Nothing was wrong with this place. 

"Oh no," Raye groaned, getting Serena's attention. 

"What?"

"Jeff's back. 

Jeff? Serena looked and the sick feeling came back. The reason why she didn't like this place resurfaced. Nothing she could name. Nothing that was logical. It just resided in the gut, a twisting dizzy feeling. 

She didn't know the guy, but he reminded her of something… or someone. 

"See you later, Serena," Raye sighed, slipping off the table and walking away with Jeff.

A coldness gripped her. It was as if something that had been blocking her vision was suddenly gone, letting her see and feel what she didn't want to. The acid music she thought she was getting used to screamed in her ears, the wild lights and swirling dark bodies made her dizzy. 

She slid off the table and was walking. Molly, she couldn't leave without Molly. But she was still walking. 

There was something desperate inside her as she searched. Her arms were up, helping her push away from bodies that would slam into her. She stopped, eyes fixed on the walls. A hazy red light slid over her, then a yellow one. There were paintings on the walls, like on the door. Black roses, slinking snakes, scurrying scorpions, lurking wolves. 

She turned—something screaming inside—and collided into a warm body. She met black eyes. 


	5. xChapter 4x

****

Secrets of the Night

CHAPTER FOUR

__

By Stargirl

Alrighty, chapter four is up! If you can, ignore the prologue. I've discarded for awhile now but I don't know how to delete it from FF.net. ^_^;;

* * *

It was happening again. Oh God no, she thought, not at school.

Teens chatted in the hallway of lockers, swarming until they blurred in Serena's vision. Her hand reached out to the closest metal locker. Her head spun. Blinking, she tried to force the unbalanced waves out of her, concentrating her eyes on a smiley face sticker on the locker. Breathe, just breathe. Make it go away. You are not crazy, you are not sick, it will go away. She dipped her head, hoping the curtain of her blonde hair could hide her from her friends.

The flash that sparked like an electric burst around the edge of her vision quickened her heart. God, of all places. Within a minute, the blabber of the school floated a mile away, and all that pounded in her ears was a steady heartbeat.

She wasn't seeing the bustling hallway of Mitchell High anymore, but chaotic images that quickened and slowed, blurred than focused, unbalancing her brain. 

Red brown, shapes… Trees? Running, fear. Helplessness. The night. 

Serena… a hoarse whispery voice came over the thumps of her heart. Serena, you're the one. You're the one. It came like a magnitude of streams, pouring, moving, and whispering. Serena!

"Ah!" Her body jumped, face flushed as she realized where she was. 

"Serena," a voice persisted. But this time it was in the hallway, and it took her a dreadful moment to realize who was before her. 

She had to look up at him, before gazing blankly for a moment at the spurts of gold curls, smooth face, and eyes—black eyes. Justin Redfern. 

"Uh… hi," she mumbled.

She fidgeted as he looked at her, eyebrow raised.

"You okay?"

"Headache. Just a headache. A bad one though, I should uh, probably go to the nurse and see if she has any aspirin." She attempted a smile. 

A smile quirked at Justin's lips. Why did that irk her so much? She was never rash at judging people, but she really, really didn't like that guy. 

"Ah, too bad. Hope it'll clear up for next periods history test," his black eyes shone briefly. "I was going to ask you if you knew about the new club that opened?"

Her brow crinkled in desperation. Please, make him just say that it's a cool place and LEAVE. "Um, the Kyrinth? Yeah, I've heard of it."

"Well," he started smoothly, "I guess you can say my father owns it. It's a pretty cool place though. Think I might be able to see you there tonight?"

It wasn't a date, which meant she had no obligation to go. She liked that view and she didn't completely have to force her smile. "Yeah, maybe. I'm a bit busy so I can't say for sure--"

"She'll go!" a voice plunged in behind her and a bunch of red curls bounced in front of her view. Molly Phillips threw a twinkling gaze her way and Serena longed to knock every sweet freckle off her best friend's face. 

Molly's head darted to Justin with a perky smile. "She'll DEFINITELY be there. I've been trying to get her to go for over a week!"

A grin cracked Justin's lips, revealing many pearly whites. "Great." He turned his gaze on Serena. "I'll be sure to see you there then. Oh, and you better hurry and get that aspirin for your headache." 

Serena paused, wondering if she imagine the mocking tone when he said 'headache,' but then the greater problem sunk in, and she turned to glare at the red-head beside her. "Are you a complete idiot?" 

Molly crossed her arms with a lift of her chin. "No, are you?"

She knew that meaning well. Her gaze turned to Justin's retreating form slipping through the sea of teens—like a jaguar among lambs. Ever since he arrived last month, the school fawned over him. Even teachers. He was never reprimanded. No matter how late he was or how indifferent his attitude was. Of course, many times he appeared to be paying rapt attention to the teachers, but his eyes were mocking. She doubted he ever listened to them… and yet he always had an answer when they asked a question…

Girls made excuses just to see him, just to talk to him. He had shrugged off the others with an ease that was disconcerting… an aloofness she wouldn't have expected. And yet his eyes were always intense, often seeming to laugh, as if he knew a secret. And then he'd look at her with those eyes, as if he were sharing that secret and keeping it from her at the same time. He hadn't talked to her much---she would always duck out of it---but she couldn't help but be aware of his gaze on her, even as he was circled by a crowd who never noticed he wasn't listening to them. 

He always seemed to know when she was in the room. 

And she hated it.

Molly sighed with a roll of her eyes as she applied a shimmery coat of cherry lipstick and fluffed her red curling locks. "Even Evelyn is jealous of the attention he gives you," she exclaimed as she smacked her lips and looked at Serena pointedly.

"Well tell Evelyn that she can have him," Serena said and whirled down the hallway, Molly on her heels. They had the same class next. 

"You need to date," Molly said. 

"I do not." She was tired of this talk. Just because she didn't think of any of the guys at the school in that way didn't mean there was something wrong with her. Guys asked her all right. She would just refuse as lightly as she could and then beg her friend Andrew to attend the dances with her. He was like the big brother she never had and she enjoyed going with him, even though Molly insisted she go with a guy she could have more romantic relationship with. At first going to the dances with Andrew gave her blissful rest from Molly's pushing, but once the red-head realized she didn't have anything with Andrew besides friendship, the girl became the pest of the century. The sweet girl with red ringlet hair and freckles turned into a military person finding her mission. 

Serena slipped into their history class and into a seat near the front, tucking her feet under her chair and sitting up straight. She glanced back when she didn't feel a cool gaze embedded in her back. He wasn't there. She turned back around, relieved but not really surprised. Justin skipped classes a lot. Not that he ever got in trouble for it.

For the next hour she put in a fervent effort to pay attention. When the test had been placed in front of her the text seem to blur. But she knew the material, and once she tackled the test with military discipline she had time to spare. She shuffled through the papers, wondering if she could review it again. But she had been sure of the answers and checked it over three times. History was her favorite subject. Possibly because the teacher was her favorite. She looked up to the teacher who stood by the window with a book in one hand, seeming more like a drama or literature teacher about to fill the room with languid words from Shakespheare. Mr. Gray had cool eyes, artistic hands, and an intelligent face, blonde hair—bordering on white—always pulled back into a loose ponytail. At middle-age, she almost thought of him as her father figure—though she couldn't imagine telling him that. Mr. Gray was unlike any man she had met. Always so poised and—in her opinion—better fitting in the atmosphere of some palace.

She was fascinated by the languages he spoke, the depth of his knowledge of history. He never dressed in jeans or T-shirts like many of the other teachers. He wasn't considerably affectionate to his students, but he would always lend a smile to Serena and let her stay with him after school in the classroom where he would show her odd and very old objects and talk about them. History didn't seem like…well history, with him. She took in the words he said as if they were fairytales being told to a five-year-old.

Actually, as her mind skittered to Justin, she realized Mr. Gray was also the only teacher who showed a dislike to Justin. As if he saw the same thing that she did, which comforted her. It was easy to believe she was being over-reactive with no one else seeing anything wrong. 

With a friendly word with Mr. Gray and a "see you after school" she left with the mill of the students. When she was visiting with him after school in the dim room connected to his classroom, she was tense. Her thoughts kept slipping to the new club, unease rolling around in her stomach. Could she feign sickness maybe? No, she thought with a laugh, Molly would never believe that. 

She fingered a smooth wooden object that curved long like a humongous tooth on the table, trying to seem like she was studying it in the dim yellow light. "What's this one?" she asked, more to keep up appearances than out of curiosity. She couldn't find it in her to be curious at the moment.

Mr. Gray stood in back of her. "That would be a stake. Very old and unique."

She brow furrowed but then she grinned teasingly. "For what? To kill vampires?" His answer scared her.

"Yes."

He had to be joking. But she knew she didn't fully believe that. She forced out a tight laugh, suddenly feeling cold. "But you don't believe in that kind of stuff."

His pause made her throat tight. His smile crept over his lips, calming her. "No. But then who am I to say what is real?" He picked up the wooden stake and it gleamed under his fingers. "The person who owned this was real though. A beautiful woman with the allure and danger of a lioness." Mr. Gray was watching her carefully. "She claimed to have killed a thousand vampires with this. Her father and mother made it for her—" He traced markings on the wood—"They were very skilled. It's a work of art."

A work of art. She felt relief. That's why he liked the object. To him it was art, the history of some sort of legend. "It's nice," she said and he set the stake down.

She left then. Mr. Gray cast her an odd glance. It wasn't her like her to leave so soon. But she couldn't stay, couldn't bring herself to be interested in history—couldn't keep looking at the unusual stake. She wasn't sure where she wanted to go. Thankfully, it was still too early to leave for the club. 

With an idea though, she walked to the mall, steps considerably lighter. She would go see Andrew. She needed to see a friend who wasn't trying to match her up or drag her to a club. 

It did wonders on her spirit. A grin was in place as she walked into the café. Her backpack dropped to the ground and she slumped in a chair. "Hey Jane, Andrew here?" she called to a girl behind the counter that had a mop of tiny brown ringlets for hair. 

The girl smiled and shouted to the back. "Andrew, get your but out here." 

Andrew's blonde head peered out of the door, eyes lightening at Serena. He threw himself into the chair across from her. "Good timing. Joe was just about to make me clean the dishes."

"Fun," Serena said, lips pursed on the edge of their smile.

"So what's up?" He grabbed a soda from the counter and leaned back in the chair.

Serena shrugged. "Just wanted to stop by." She rolled her eyes. "Molly's gotten me into going to that new club---Kyrinth?---tonight. I swear that girl---" She stopped. Andrew's laughter had dropped, the muscles in his arms that showed from his rolled up sleeves taught. "Andrew?" she asked, her voice tentative. 

His hand clenched the soda can, the can crushing instantly. And then he shot up from the chair, throwing the can into the trash. His voice was tight. "You can't go there."

She looked at him from where she sat, eyes searching, her gut twisting. "Why?" 

His glare sent her mind reeling. "You just can't," he almost shouted. His face softened as he got a grip and realized how he was acting. "Look, Serena, there are things you don't know about it." Green eyes pleaded with hers. "Promise me you won't go."

Serena breathed in slowly and rose from the table. She forced a smile she hoped was encouraging. "I got to go. I'll see you later, Andrew." She pecked his cheek, trying not to notice how his eyes fell and fear entered them.

An hour later, after dropping her bookbag off at home and telling her mom were she'd be, she stood at the bust stop. Molly stood before the open doors of the bus, arms crossed and heeled feet apart, a condescending look swarming in her burning eyes. 

Serena lifted her head and met her gaze. She hadn't bothered to change her clothes of jeans and sleeveless pink top. 

After a minute Molly rolled her eyes and they both boarded the bus. 

* * * 

She hated it. Even before they went in. A voice inside screamed to go back when she saw just the metal doors. A huge rose was painted across both, black petals with thorns. Something bothered her about it. Her mind searched itself, but nothing came. Just the feeling. 

Molly pursed her lips and said matter-of-factly, "Kyrinth. I heard it means black rose in some language." A smile swept across her face. "You coming?" 

Her heartbeat thumped at the base of her neck. Nothing to be afraid of, nothing to be afraid of, she repeated over and over in her mind as they went inside. She flinched. The feelings from outside rose ten notches, scraping at her sanity. Her clammy hands gripped Molly's. 

For a moment she was lost, her mind swirling like the colored lights. Oh God, the lights. They flashed all over---blue, red, green, yellow---splashing on the dark forms of partying teens. Acid music vibrated inside her and pounded her eardrums, almost overpowering the sound of her heart. But in those moments her ears went numb to the music, as if it were muffled, and her eyes cast around, taking in the painted walls and blocks of area in flashes. Her breaths were short, hot, and strained, as if she were suffocating. 

And then Molly said, "Isn't this great?"

Serena looked to her friend, trying to put her stomach back in place. She hadn't been to many clubs. That was all. She wasn't used to the atmosphere. There was nothing __really__ wrong. Andrew's words just poisoned her mind. The panic left a bit as she kept rationalizing, leaving her with only cold nerves. 

She was only vaguely aware of Molly smoothing down her short pink dress and saying, "Oh God, I know that guy!" It hadn't been important to her still racing mind that she was trying to calm. But then the grip she had on Molly's hands was gone and all she saw was a glimpse of red curls disappearing into the crowd. 

"Molly!" She stood there shocked. Her friend hadn't just left her. She looked to the floor, training her breaths. Her nerves were raw, as if they were smashed by an ice-cold wave and left tingling. 

She stepped back—into a body. A teen with a smooth bald head with piercings. "Wanna dance?" 

Her shaking head was stiff as she gulped for air. Then she turned and scrambled farther into the writhing mass of teens. 

* * * 

Raye loved going to clubs. Liked the wild atmosphere, dressing up in daring red outfits and dancing for hours, feeling the music pound and vibrate her insides. 

But she didn't like this one. It was irritating her that she couldn't figure out why. There was no reason why she wouldn't love this place---why she couldn't enjoy it. She lifted her bare arms into the air, swinging her body to the rhythm—but there was no feeling or relish in the movements. 

Just a cold hallowness. She looked up, watching the dancing form of her boyfriend of that week, Jeff. There was something about Jeff. Something different than any other guy she went out with. A danger lurked beneath his thin languid form and laughing brown eyes. He wasn't the normal bad boy, she knew. They did wild things for a thrill, pushing the limits of the law and pulling pranks—childish in her opinion. But with Jeff… it was a simple danger. A kind that existed since the beginning of time. He didn't wear pounds of leather, have piercings, or even have a tattoo. He didn't need to.

He smiled at her. She didn't smile back, instead she closed her eyes and pretended she was too into dancing to notice. But in the next moment, her eyes snapped open with the feeling of Jeff by her side, hot breath in her ear. "I see someone I know, I'll be back. Don't have too much fun without me," he said, voice loud over the music but still smooth. 

She nodded and watched him slip into the sea of dark moving bodies. Tired of dancing, she walked through the dark and bright flashing chaos with unimpressed eyes, her lashes that drooped lush and black like her hair that flowed over her bare shoulders and to her waist. 

Pursing her red lips, she walked to one of the tables on an elevated floor. She kicked off her red heels and sat lazily on the cool table, one leg dangling with the other resting on a chair, back arched with her hands pillaring her body. 

A girl leaning against a wall near her seemed to perk in lazy interest at Raye's boldness, a glimmer of approvement in her ice-blue eyes. Raye looked at her, not letting her wariness or unsettlement show. With the chaotic lights it almost looked like the girl had white hair. It didn't make her look old—impossible with the girl's enviously smooth skin—but exotic. It didn't look bleached either. Too healthy—it slipped down the girl's figure like silk.

She was the kind of girl Raye wouldn't mind talking to. But then there was something she saw in the girl that made her hesitate. Something that reminded her of… Jeff. Yes. An elegant beauty enclosed in danger. Alluring while at the same time something clicked inside, an alert that whispered to stay far away. 

They didn't speak. But both of them were aware of each other. Then, the girl's eyes averted to something—or someone—in the crowd, then she grinned and left. Raye blinked, eyes still a lazy violet, but an interest drifted in them. She looked where the girl had looked she sat up in recognition. 

Serenity Talen, more commonly known as Serena. The girl's soft sunshine hair, almost as long as Raye's, and large blue eyes were unable to miss. The girl didn't see her. Even if she did, Raye wasn't sure if the girl would come up. They went to the same school, but didn't know each other well. They were too different, living on different sides. Raye had a hard background and lived on the wild side, Serena was the nice girl—not shy or timid, if she were Raye would probably have rolled her eyes in disgust and ignored the girl. No, Serena just had a kind nature, but there was a boldness in her that Raye had noticed. Honesty, she wasn't fake like many preppy girls at the school. Raye had watched as the girl chew out a few boys for discriminating a new girl in the school in some fashion of approval. 

Raye was bored right now, edgy in her surroundings for once. Quickly deciding, she waved until the girl looked up and then gestured her over with a turn of her head. 

Serena walked up with a smile. "Hi. It's Raye, right?"

Raye nodded, scooting back on the table to her original position. "Sit." She expected the girl to sit demurely in a chair, but Serena met her gaze and promptly sat on the table beside Raye. Raye quirked an eyebrow and grinned. Serena smiled back. 

…

The tension eased, Serena's fear rolling down and off her back. Raye threw her head back and laughed at what Serena said. "God, that Melvin kid actually did _that_?"

Serena nodded with a grin of her own. Why did she never talk to Raye sooner at school? She looked back into the crowd, the music not even bothering her anymore. The sick feeling was gone. Nothing was wrong with this place. 

"Oh no," Raye groaned, getting Serena's attention. 

"What?"

"Jeff's back. 

Jeff? Serena looked and the sick feeling came back. The reason why she didn't like this place resurfaced. Nothing she could name. Nothing that was logical. It just resided in the gut, a twisting dizzy feeling. 

She didn't know the guy, but he reminded her of something… or someone. 

"See you later, Serena," Raye sighed, slipping off the table and walking away with Jeff.

A coldness gripped her. It was as if something that had been blocking her vision was suddenly gone, letting her see and feel what she didn't want to. The acid music she thought she was getting used to screamed in her ears, the wild lights and swirling dark bodies made her dizzy. 

She slid off the table and was walking. Molly, she couldn't leave without Molly. But she was still walking. 

There was something desperate inside her as she searched. Her arms were up, helping her push away from bodies that would slam into her. She stopped, eyes fixed on the walls. A hazy red light slid over her, then a yellow one. There were paintings on the walls, like on the door. Black roses, slinking snakes, scurrying scorpions, lurking wolves. 

She turned—something screaming inside—and collided into a warm body. She met black eyes. 


End file.
